West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Thursday, 24 September publicly questioned the credibility of reports claiming that two Election Commissioners had raised formal objections to decisions made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) over a span of 10 months. Speaking to reporters in New Town, Ghosh demanded to know what concrete evidence existed to support the allegations.

What the Reports Claimed

A leading daily had reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected on at least 14 occasions to various decisions and processes within the poll panel. The reported grievances covered matters such as the addition and deletion of names from electoral rolls, as well as concerns about whether both Commissioners were adequately consulted before certain decisions were finalised.

The Election Commission, however, has firmly maintained that all decisions — including those relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — were taken unanimously with the approval of all three Commissioners.

Ghosh Dismisses the Claims

'The issue of SIR was also discussed in court, and people even approached the courts. But nothing came of it, did it? They have no evidence of what went wrong,' Ghosh said.

He added that any individual whose name had been wrongfully removed from an electoral roll retained the option of submitting the necessary documents and seeking restoration. 'So, today, the opposition has nothing to do. Those who cannot even field candidates in by-elections, who is going to listen to them?' he remarked.

Attack on Rahul Gandhi Over CEC Arrest Demand

Ghosh also took sharp aim at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other opposition figures who have reportedly demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

'Has Rahul Gandhi become the courts and the judiciary, or has he become the Constitution itself, that he gets to decide who should be arrested?' Ghosh said. He further argued that opposition parties who lost elections in a free and fair process had no basis to blame the poll body for their defeats.

Adani Group Hospital in New Town

Separately, Ghosh spoke about a proposed 2,000-bed hospital being developed by the Adani Group in New Town, with the groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Thursday. He noted that 1,000 beds would be made available free of cost to economically weaker patients, and confirmed that the state government was prepared to extend support for the initiative.

Ghosh also indicated that industrialists and business groups were showing renewed interest in investing in West Bengal, adding that land allotments would be made in a phased manner and that land previously acquired by companies that failed to begin work would be reclaimed under the government's existing policy.

The ECI's response to the latest round of controversy will be closely watched, particularly as political pressure from opposition parties over electoral roll management continues to mount ahead of future state and national polls.